A Tiger in the Zoo

A Tiger in the Zoo

Introduction:

In the poem “A Tiger in the Zoo” the poet has presented a contrast between a tiger in the zoo and a tiger in its natural habitat.  

 About the Poet:

Leslie Norris was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer. For a very long time, he earned his living as a college lecturer, teacher, and headmaster. From 1974, he became a full-time writer with residencies at academic institutions in Britain and the United States. Today, he is considered as one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period.

Meaning stanza by stanza:

 Stanza 1

He stalks in his vivid stripes

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

Meaning

In these lines, the poet describes a tiger in the zoo. Here, ‘few steps’ implies that this tiger has been provided with limited space in the cage. Then the poet goes on to describe the tiger’s appearance. It has prominent stripes all over its body. Its paws are soft as velvet.  And because of this, it can walk silently around the cage. Although the tiger is silent, it is angry.

Literary devices:

Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. 

Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)

Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to the next line without any punctuation mark. 

Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)

Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes) 

Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

Stanza 2

He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass

Near the water hole

Where plump deer pass.

Meaning

In these lines, the poet suggests that the cage is not an appropriate place for a tiger to live. Obviously, it’s not the tiger’s natural habitat. The poet suggests that usually tigers are found hiding behind bushes or tall grass. They wait near a stream or water hole waiting for their prey. You see, animals like deer come to these streams to drink water. And that is when the tiger slides silently through the grass and kills them.

Literary devices:

Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)

Enjambment: The line continues to the next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding through….deer pass)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass)

Imagery: The poet tries to create an image of the tiger’s activities (lurking in shadow).

Stanza 3

He should be snarling around houses

At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,

Terrorising the village!

Meaning

In this stanza, the poet tells us about the actual nature of a tiger. He imagines the tiger sitting at the edge of a jungle in close vicinity of a village. He says that the tiger should be growling near some village. He would be showing his sharp teeth and claws while moving here and there. He would thus become a cause of terror for the villagers. Here, the poet gives a  hint that if we destroy the natural habitat of tigers, they will be forced to turn to our towns and villages to find their food.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village)

Enjambment: The line continues to the next line without punctuation marks (He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)

Onomatopoeia: using words that denote sound (snarling)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring, his, white, his)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws)

Stanza 4

But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,

Stalking the length of his cage,

Ignoring visitors.

Meaning

In this stanza, the poet is trying to generate sympathy for the plight of the tiger. The tiger is imprisoned in a cage made of concrete instead of roaming about freely in the jungle. He cannot come out of the cage because he is surrounded by strong bars. Although he is locked in the cage, the tiger seems to be well aware of its strength. Very slowly and silently, he continues walking in anger along the length of the cage. In all his pride, he takes no note of the visitors who come to the zoo to have a look at him.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-visitors)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars)

Stanza 5

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares with his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

Meaning

In these concluding lines, the poet again takes us to the cage where the tiger is sitting. He has an unpleasant feeling and seems restless. He hears the sound of the patrolling cars of the zoo authorities. He shows no interest in them. He keeps staring at the shining stars with his brilliant eyes. We may conclude that the tiger in the zoo knows no rest during the day because of the visitors. Even at night, he remains disturbed due to the noises around him. As you can see, the poem ends up at the point where it had started.

Literary devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars)

Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation marks. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears) Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)

Meanings of words and phrases:

stalks: to follow an animal or person as closely as possible without being seen or heard

vivid: very brightly coloured

pads: the foot of the tiger

rage: anger

lurking: to wait or move in a secret way so that one cannot be seen

water hole: a depression in which water collects, especially one that is regularly drunk from by animals

plump: a rounded body or shape

snarling: to make a deep, rough sound while showing the teeth, usually in anger

edge: the outer or furthest point of an area

baring: to uncover or expose

Fangs: a large sharp tooth

terrorising: to make someone feel very frightened

concrete: a very hard building material made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones, and water

cell: cage

ignoring: to give no attention to something or someone

patrolling - to keep a watch over an area by regularly walking or travelling around it

stares - to look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one s eyes wide open

brilliant - very bright

Summary:

The poem begins with a description of a tiger that is very beautiful and is walking in his little cage. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and velvet-like soft paws. But the tiger is not happy and is quite angry about being confined in the cage. 

The poet says that if the tiger was not confined to the zoo cage, he would have been hiding behind the long grass near some water body, in order to catch its prey that is the deer. Also, he would have terrorised the residents of the villages around the forest area. But the reality is totally opposite of this. He was confined in a cage that was made up of strong building material and he was helpless there. He could not show his power to the visitors, therefore, never tried to terrorize them. The tiger is described as being powerless and agonized by the poet. 

He says that at night also he is alone, hearing the voice of the patrolling vehicles of police and looking at the stars. The cage life has totally changed the tiger’s personality. The poet is trying to say that the animal which is famous for its fearlessness and freedom is confined and sad due to the human beings who want to derive pleasure by looking at him in the zoo cage.